McPherson, Kansas - The Registrar for Central Christian College of Kansas has named 74 students…
Operation Christmas Child 2021
For the third year in a row, before students left for the break, students were able to celebrate during the last chapel of the semester by putting their faith into action and packing Christmas boxes for Operation Christmas Child. Operation Christmas Child is a ministry that sends shoebox sized Christmas gifts full of fun and useful items for children to boys and girls in need around the world. For some children, it may be their first Christmas gift ever.
Students brought small gifts to fill the iconic green and red shoe boxes that are already on their way to children all around the world. The campus community came together and packed 55 boxes for the organization. These boxes included everything from small toys to handwritten notes.
The Student Life Office sponsored the event and was largely made possible by the Resident Advisors. All Resident Advisors gathered with their residents a few weeks before to discuss their plans of buying items for the shoeboxes that they would fill. The shoeboxes were brought full of the items purchased by students and staff to the Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Event on the 17th.
First, students and staff watched videos consisting of a description of the Operation Christmas Child ministry and one being a personal story of a boy, showing the impact receiving a shoebox had on his life.
Then, everyone rotated around the gym to four different stations. There was a polaroid station; where students and staff gathered for pictures that printed immediately to be sent in the shoebox. There was also a prayer station where Campus Pastor, Zach Fleming, prayed with groups over the boxes as well as the ones that would receive the boxes. There was the inclusion of a letter writing station; where each person could write a short personal note to the child and finally, a doughnut station was also available where every person enjoyed a delicious Dough Co. donut.
Operation Christmas Child was founded in 1993, by Franklin Graham, and has since facilitated over 188 million boxes, being delivered to over 170 countries. These shoeboxes are a tangible display of God’s love to the children that receive them, as well as an opportunity for Samaritan’s Purse volunteers to share the gospel of Jesus Christ – His death, burial, and resurrection.
One of the special things about these boxes is that participants can track where they go in the world, helping to personalize the impact. After these boxes are delivered, children have the opportunity to join a 12-lesson discipleship program where, since 2009, over 12.5 million children have decided to follow God. To learn more about Operation Christmas Child visit their website at www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child
Central Christian College of Kansas’ mission is to provide a Christ-Centered Education for Character. The college strives to provide tangible opportunities for students and staff to engage locally and internationally.
ABOUT CENTRAL CHRISTIAN COLLEGE OF KANSAS
Central Christian College of Kansas is a regionally accredited institution offering undergraduate and graduate-level programs. Central strives to offer Christ-centered education for the whole person – heart, mind, soul, and strength. Its history dates back to 1884, and it is located in the friendly town of McPherson, Kansas. Central is a strategically small college that offers over forty areas of residential study and a thriving online program for non-traditional students. To learn more about Central go to centralchristian.edu/about. Follow campus life on Facebook to see what they are doing next.